A Game of Chase
by Kaleeco
Summary: After many years of chasing after him, I was ready to move on and forget his stupid, arrogant face. However, life has always found a way to screw with me, and when I saw that he was enrolled at the same art academy, I nearly screamed. But wait...why does he seem interested in me all of a sudden, especially after what he did? Now it's his turn to start chasing me. SI/OC x Sasori AU
1. Chapter 1

**This idea came to me while sitting in class today, so I figured I would put pen to paper (or more like fingers to keyboard) and see how it turns out. Not sure if I'll continue this, but if you are interested, please let me know! Leave a review if you enjoyed or have any questions, and please have a great day!**

 **Warning: Slight!NaruHina. Already had one complaint, so please leave silently if you don't like the pairing. I plan on staying true to the manga and keeping the pairs the same, but I'm not focused on other couples more so than I am on Sasori. If I do mention another pairing, it will only be brief...personally, I can't stand SasuSaku, but I am not going to bash on them and I plan on keeping the two together. I'm more focused on the Akatsuki than anything and only a few characters outside of Akatsuki will appear in this story.**

* * *

I remember sitting in my English class during the first year of middle school when my teacher passed out a slip of paper, and on it was written a brief question. It asked us to give a short paragraph about the happiest day of our life. Immediately, my pencil came crashing down upon the paper, my fingers moving quickly as I poured my heart out. Many of my classmates took their time thinking about what they wanted to say, but I already knew. While most of them wrote of the time when their parents took them to an amusement park, and others wrote of sentimental moments in their lives, I wrote of the day that I had met my first and only crush, Sasori Akasuna. It turned out that my short paragraph had extended to take up the entire slip of paper, but after proofreading the piece, I felt happy with what I had to say. The teacher had told us to keep the paper since she had only used it as a writing exercise, and so I kept it with me to hold onto for many years to come.

Indeed, I was completely infatuated with this boy, but what had brought me to this point? He was smart, handsome, friendly, kind, and an all-around great person. Of course, I never really talked to him much due to my shyness; however, I could tell we were fated to be together. Ever since that day...

* * *

I was one month into my second grade year when I first met him on the playground at school.

 _What was this feeling?_

I could feel myself falling into a strange pit as my stomach did flips. It was like I couldn't breathe, but also as though I had taken my first breath of fresh air in a long time.

 _I couldn't be…_

His smile etched itself permanently in my mind, but this memory wasn't enough. I could still feel his hand lingering on my own, and after a few moments of convincing myself that he had already left, I still had to check and see that he wasn't sitting beside me.

 _Was I dying? My heart is beating so fast…_

I stood from my spot on the swing, staring at the other which hung adjacently to my own. His image still remained prominent in my mind and simply refused to go away, and I could still hear his kind voice in my ears. My hand unconsciously drifted to my chest, clutching the fabric of my sweater as a way to keep myself calm.

 _What did he do to me?_

He was a really nice boy...thanks to him, my music box was as good as new. However, I think he did something else, too! He made my insides hurt...which was kind of mean, but I really liked him! I was hoping we could be friends, yet he was too quick and left as soon as he came…

I approached my mom and asked her why I was this way.

"A boy hurt you on the inside? I'm not sure what you mean, honey...did he call you something bad?" She asked, glancing to her right to stare at me. I didn't notice though, I was too busy staring out the window in search of _him._

"No! He fixed my music box for me!" I proudly nodded my head, explaining how I gave the box to him as a gift for helping me. "He was really, really nice, Mama, but when he said he had to go, it made me sad and my body started acting weird."

"Ho?" She cooed, "it seems Mariko has a crush on someone."

"Crush? What's that?"

"It means that you really like him; more so than a friend… What's his name?" She asked, pulling into the parking lot of a private, music studio not to far from the school.

"I-I...I don't know!" I quickly became scared as I wondered how I had forgotten that one important detail. I wasn't exactly sure what a 'crush' was still, but I was afraid that I wouldn't see the boy again and get his name.

"It's alright, darling! Just ask him when you see him tomorrow, but for right now, let's focus on your lesson today with Mr. Yukari."

* * *

Obviously, I did end up getting his name in the end. I only chatted with him every so often, but I couldn't bring myself to hang out with him. I was always so awkward around him; however, I was that way with everyone I talked to.

I also learned what my mom meant by 'crush' after a while, but I decided to try and focus on other things rather than a silly infatuation. As I grew up, I noticed that he was hanging out with a different crowd, and the fact that we didn't have many classes together didn't help. I had gone from being the lovesick preteen to a timid highschooler with no life outside of school and music. I still had a crush on Sasori, but I just reigned it in and simply found him as someone to admire. I was pretty sure that he wouldn't recognize me if I told him my name...

My best friend, Hinata, is the only person who knows of my crush. Now that it's our final year here at Suna High School and coming very close to the end, we had both decided together that we would confess our love to our crushes. Hinata was just as introverted and bashful as I was, and it took us about three years to encourage one another to profess ourselves. Hinata was deeply in love with a guy named Naruto in our grade… I wasn't sure what she saw in him, considering that he was a dunce and basically the complete opposite of her, but she loved him so I felt the need to support her all the way. She probably questioned why I liked Sasori so much, but she knew that love was love.

And so, this brings us to today. The final day of school before we leave for the art academy...we both have waited so long for this moment, but now that it was here, I couldn't help the surreal feeling that coursed within me. The hallways weren't as crowded now since the final bell had rung a few minutes ago, but my heart wouldn't stop fluttering wildly. This was it...this was my moment to proclaim my love to Sasori Akasuna and hopefully...he will accept it.

However, as time went on, I started to lose faith. I was standing a few lockers away from his, but he never came by once! Was I too late? He must had gone home early or something. I knew I saw him today in the hallway...but I made sure that I got here quickly! Maybe this wasn't meant to be like I had originally thought.

Clutching the handle of my instrument case tightly, I was ready to turn the corner and go meet up with Hinata like we had planned. She had probably already talked to Naruto...I really hope things went well for her-

"Maybe you should stop whining and give up already." A beautifully smooth voice spoke. It was rather flat, yet silvery in tone...

It was him.

Although, it sounded like he was with someone. My emotions went from "panicked" mode to "extremely overwrought" mode when I saw him approaching with a friend who appeared to be angry with him. His scarlet red hair shined prettily from the sunlight that entered the halls, and it was only a matter of seconds before his chestnut eyes collided with my own. Here we go…

"It's not my fault the bitch threw her shoe at me-! Oh...Danna, _you think she's another one_?" The redhead's friend, who I knew to be Deidara from my Physics class, whisper-shouted his last statement, blue eyes darting toward me as I cursed my lack of planning. There was no going back now though.

"I-uh…" I hesitated, going through all the scenarios in my head at a rapid pace.

"What is it?" Sasori's voice urged me on to continue, my eyes trailing up to see him with a blank stare on his face. He seemed to be focused on something behind me, almost as though he were trying to seem uninterested with what I had to say.

I could feel my instrument case sliding from my hands a little as I shifted my weight from foot to foot. "I just...I've been wanting to tell you this for a while…"

Suddenly, almost as though I had said something extremely offensive, I watched as my crush began to shake his head a little. Annoyance flooded his features as if I had already wasted his time with my words. The butterflies in my stomach started to kick up again and my eyes widened slightly from his reaction, the words on my tongue unable to come out.

"Worthless…"

And in that moment, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I hadn't even told him what I wanted to say, and he called my confession _worthless_. Therefore, I was worthless to him and so was my existence in general...or at least, that was how it felt.

All these years of writing him those letters, and sending him secret valentines, and slipping birthday cards into his locker all went down the drain. All the time I had spent focusing my heart on him had gone to waste in just a matter of seconds. Maybe if he had simply declined, then I would be ok...but he called me _worthless_ and seemed to sneer at my appearance.

If I had only known Sasori was this way...I always watched him from afar, and from what I could tell, he was a very nice person. He bought lunch for a kid once because he forgot money and he let someone use his book to study from and even helped me with a few problems in math class. He was the type of person to be a hero, but never want credit or anything in return. I even watched him save a stray cat from a few freshmen who thought it was funny to mess with it! He seemed like an angel on the outside, what with his skills in art and perfect muscles and hair and face and eyes and...oh what am I saying! He's a jerk!

I felt like something had snapped within me, and my shy persona disappeared as I glared at the floor. I knew this was stupid...stupid, stupid, stupid!

I hadn't noticed that Sasori and his friend had already left me in the hallway, the two turning the corner as I heard them continue on with their conversation. I knew I was taking the risk of rejection, but I didn't expect it to end like this.

But the one thing that I felt more than anger at myself was embarrassment. Really...a girl like me asking a guy like him to accept me for my love? It was like a homeless person asking a celebrity to marry her and actually have hope that he would say yes; it was simply unethical and impossible.

All I knew now was that I wished to never see Sasori Akasuna again. Especially after how foolish I sounded in front of him…

* * *

I had met up with Hinata at the local park after my lessons to talk about how our confessions went. The sun was already setting but since Hinata was on the volleyball team, she had to stay for the going away party and I had my last session after school as well. We still always found time to hangout together though.

"So how did it go..?" Hinata hesitantly licked her ice cream, wincing a little when it came in contact with her teeth. I smiled a little at her dilemma and remembered how her teeth were sensitive, but she really liked the taste of the cold dessert.

"It was an utter failure on my part…" I sighed, the dark-haired girl nodding her head in understanding. "I just felt like crawling into a hole and dying after what happened."

"Was he that b-bad? She stuttered out, "he seemed like a really nice person in class…"

I sighed a little, keeping my gaze on the picnic table we were sitting at. "Before I even got my confession out, he called me worthless, Hinata...that's how bad it was." I could hear a few kids screaming in the distance as they played in a sandbox, my mind finding itself as it wandered back to many years ago. Things had changed so much since then… It was kind of ironic. I remember when I couldn't wait to grow up so I could do things that I couldn't do when I was a kid, like ride in the front seat or cook on the stove or get married… Now that I was older, I wished that I could go back in time and live when things were so much more simpler.

"It's alright though!" Hinata's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "I-I mean there are so many other guys out there just waiting for y-you! If anything, Sasori made a bad choice by rejecting one of the most t-talented, smartest, prettiest girls that I know. You just have to believe in yourself…" I grinned at her short motivational statement.

"Thanks...hehe! You kinda sound like someone from a Disney movie." I laughed, but was grateful for her words. Hinata always meant well and was a very soft-spoken person. She used to stutter a lot back in middle school when I had first met her, but now she only slipped up once or twice. My best friend was really pretty to say the least, but she always kept her eyes on Naruto. She turned down every guy who approached her (with a little help from her older cousin, of course). She was known for sounding a little cheesy when she spoke and still believed in the idea that "the good guy always gets the girl in the end."

The dark-haired girl was right though. I was going to have to get over my nine-year crush on Sasori, and just look to the future. We both were going to the Konoha Art Academy next year together, which I found very exciting. It was my dream to go there for schooling and to perfect my musical abilities...I needed to forget my stupid crush and move on with life.

"What about you though? How did it go with Naruto?" As soon as I said his name, Hinata's lavender eyes drifted down, the tiniest of frowns forming on her lips. Naruto was too much of a nice guy to give Hinata a hard time like Sasori did to me...

"Not as good as you may think…" Hinata sighed, her determined tone diminishing as she reminisced on what happened, "I told N-N-Naruto that I really admired h-him, and he thought that I meant it in a friendly way."

"But that's still pretty good, right?"

"Y-yeah. I got his phone number, and he wants to h-hang out as friends sometime."

I grinned at her form, watching as she set her empty ice cream cup to the side. "Perfect! Now all you have to do is convince him that you want to be more than friends! This is great news, Hinata!" Her face turned a deep shade of red at the thought of being with Naruto. At least one of us was successful with our confessions...even if Hinata was going to hang out with Naruto just as friends.

"You make it sound e-easy… I just wish things could have worked out between you and Sasori."

I shook my head at Hinata. "Things just weren't meant to be." No matter how much I wished for the gorgeous redhead to reciprocate my feelings, in the back of my mind, I knew the chances were extremely slim. I was just glad I could get out what I wanted to say so I could realize how much of an asshole he was.

In the corner of my eye, a flash of red caught my sights as I flung my gaze over wildly, heart quickening its pace when I found myself disappointed. It was just some guy wearing a red ballcap…

 _Ugh! Stop it, Mariko!_ Old habits die hard I suppose, but why won't this feeling go away?

"So are you excited for school next year?" Hinata shook me out of my thoughts when I realized she was already standing and moving to leave the park. I quickly stood up as well in an attempt to cover up my lack of attention, tripping over the bench as I laughed it off nervously.

"More so than I have ever been, haha~." Rubbing the back of my head, I joined Hinata as we both walked down the street. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon now, yet our houses were just a few minutes away.

The two of us chatted for a while, talking about our families and the academy and life in general. It wasn't long before we found ourselves at my house, but we talked at the front of my gate for a long time.

The air was cool and light, setting the atmosphere perfectly as I waved goodbye to Hinata. Summer vacation had officially started, and I had a lot of things to get done around the house before I would have to leave for school again. For a moment, Sasori began to creep back into my mind, but I pushed him to the side, hating how my broken heart ached at the thought of him.

I then made a promise to myself.

I will get over the arrogant jerk by the end of the year and move on with my life. He wasn't worth crying over, and his stupid face could get run over by a car for all I care.

Little did I know how hard it was going to be for me to keep that promise.

* * *

 **If the main character seems faulty with her infatuation with Sasori, that's the point :). We can't have a character who doesn't grow within a story, so I did this on purpose because who wants to read about someone who is perfect and never changes? So now the question is...should I continue on with this story? I made the first chapter short on purpose to see if I could catch a few readers, but I have A LOT of crazy stuff planned out for you guys. Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to Nekohana for the review! I looked up "Artistically Tragic" and saw that the story idea was rather similar to mine. I read a few chapters, but "A Game of Chase" is going to be taking on a different angle. I do recommend that you guys check out the other story though, it's important that we all read as much as we can and support those authors that work really hard to please their readers!**

 **Now, onto the story.**

* * *

A flash of lightning split the sky in half, the deafening sounds of thunder echoing soon after. It felt as though the bus was trembling as it pulled up to the main entrance of Konoha Art Academy, coming to a sudden stop. My mom clutched my hand tightly while taking in the sight of the school, her eyes tracing the brick buildings and trees that decorated the campus. With a sigh, she followed my actions and began to collect my suitcases from the compartment above our heads. I thought I caught her letting a few tears slip from her eyes, but I remembered that she made a promise to not cry when we got to the academy.

My mom was an emotional person...but I knew today was going to be hell for her. For as long as I could remember, it's always been just her and me. She was my one and only as I was her's, but it had come to the point where it was time for me to leave. I kept telling her that it was ok to find another man to marry, but things have been really tough on her ever since my father left. Since she didn't have a boyfriend nor many friends to hangout with, she was afraid she would end up spending the rest of her days alone.

"Watch your step!" The bus driver called out as several other students and their families walked off the vehicle. The floor was slippery, but thankfully, everyone got off just fine. The rain was beginning to drench my clothes as I looked around, cursing my lack of preparation when I saw other students had umbrellas. My hair was going to look like a frizzed up mess by the time we got inside…

I guided my mother across campus, hating how far the dorm rooms were from the entrance. I pointed out several buildings to her and explained that many of my classes would be held in the main building. For the first year, I would be taking many core classes along with my electives in subjects like Music Appreciation, General Music, and Orchestra. Regarding the end of my schooling career, I'll (hopefully) be playing at live concerts and working toward creating a name for myself. For now however, I was stuck with the basics.

The dorm rooms for girls was set beside the boys, which I found rather ignorant considering that it wouldn't be hard for the two sexes to mingle throughout the night. Why make separate dorm rooms, but place them right beside one another? Not that I really should worry about it all too much, but I didn't want to wake up to an awkward situation at night.

"Make sure that you keep track of where all the exits are, sweetie." My mom said, entering the large building before immediately searching for an emergency exit sheet. I shook my head at her statement, unwilling to listen to her go on about tornado warning procedures for the fourth time today. Instead, I approached the RA seated at the front, giving her my name as she searched through a sheet.

"Ayukawa…it's right at the top! Room 305." Reaching behind the counter, the RA retrieved a small key and handed it to me, flashing a smile in my direction but never meeting my gaze. After thanking her, I turned back around to find my mom staring intently at a plant sitting in the corner of the room for decoration, a blush spreading across my cheeks when I heard some girls giggling at the scene she was making.

"Mama, what are you doing?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder blades as she straightened her back quickly. Her eyes glared intently at the plant, her eyebrows furrowed in questioning as she poked one of the leaves.

"I thought I saw a mouse lurking in the pot…don't eat anything in this building or you could get sick." She said, nodding her head in satisfaction before collecting my suitcases to head around the corner. I really did love my mom...but it was times like these when I questioned her sanity. I did a brief once-over on the plant, unable to find any other living creature within it before chasing after my mom. She didn't even know where she was going, and I had to guide her back to the elevator before she could slip away.

After the doors had opened, my mother looked suspiciously inside, searching intently for anything odd. "Don't use this when it's storming outside; you could get stuck." Grabbing my hand-without dropping the bags she carried-the middle-aged woman guided me to a staircase at the end of the hall, my heart dropping when I saw how steep the steps were.

" _Better safe than sorry, darling!"_ Her voice echoed repeatedly in my mind with every step, my arms aching as I tugged my heavy luggage up and up, one by one. For a moment, I thought I had lost my things down the steps, but I was quick to grab the railing.

Eventually, our trek had ended when we reached the very top floor. "It's 305," I stated, feeling a little out of breath. I watched with an amused expression as my mom raised a finger, her odd behavior just becoming ridiculous. I couldn't help the laughs that bubbled from my mouth, the woman giving me a look as she listened quietly to something.

"There's a kitchen and laundry room downstairs, correct?" She asked, watching as I nodded my head, "good."

And then she moved on.

No explanation was given, but my answer must had satisfied her so I never asked.

Room 305 was at the end of the first hallway, which was nice because that meant I would only have one neighbor. Opening the door, I recalled that when I had first visited the campus for orientation, the rooms were actually decent. Due to the low enrollment and acceptance rates, the school was left with plenty of money to not only focus on the education, but also provide its students with a little comfort.

My room was apparently made for a single person to live since there was one bed. I thanked the heavens for this fact knowing that I could focus on my schoolwork rather than a noisy roommate. Along with a bed was a small desk and lamp pushed up against a wall, a wardrobe along with a dresser for my clothes, and a separate room where I had my own bathroom; however, it was very tiny. I wouldn't have to worry about sharing or using a public restroom with the other girls. I kind of wished I had a kitchen of some sort to make meals, but it wasn't a big deal.

While I was taking inventory, I hadn't noticed my mother snooping around for flaws, but I choose to start unpacking in preparation to listen to her speech. To be honest, I would rather have her worry than cry...her peculiar behavior was her way of keeping herself distracted from what was going to happen in a few hours. We would have to say goodbye to one another…

Plugging my phone into an outlet near my desk, I started with unpacking my bed sheets and placing them on my twin-sized bed. I could hear my mom muttering to herself in the bathroom, listening as she turned on the faucets to check and see if I would get hot water. I giggled to myself at her conduct, but found myself frowning in sadness when I wouldn't see her for the next few months until Christmas vacation.

I continued unpacking, finding myself attracted to the window on the wall near my bed. Pulling back the curtains, I sighed when I saw that I wouldn't get as good of a view of the campus as I thought. I instead was facing the boys' dormitory, able to see several of them unpacking as well. For a moment, a flash of red caught my eye as I searched diligently, only to see that the red belonged to a stranger on a floor below from my own. Shaking my head, I chastised and shamed myself for even thinking about _him._ That's right...I have neglected myself from using his name ever again, but I still couldn't get over my habits. God, even after _he_ rejected me so harshly, I still couldn't get his pretty face out of my head.

Suddenly a flash of lightning entered my vision, followed by a loud boom as I jumped away from the window. Shutting the curtains, I returned to my unpacking…

* * *

I texted Hinata to let her know that I had just finished unpacking, asking her what floor she was on in hopes that she was close. The storm had finally subsided, but a nasty, humid air plagued the outside and seemed to mock me as I combed out my already frizzy hair.

Classes will begin on Monday, which meant I had the rest of today and tomorrow to get settled in. I reached under my bed to pull out my instrument case, clicking open the sides as I stared at it intently. This was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Performing was something I loved to do, and I couldn't help but fidget around in excitement when this odd feeling filled my body. My life was finally beginning…

An alarm rang from my phone, transporting me back to the real world as my heart sank to my stomach. I had set it for one reason...it was time for my mom to head back home.

"Is it really time?" Looking over to her, I saw that my mom must had been thinking the same thing as me when my alarm rang. I closed my case and shoved it back under my bed, standing up a little awkwardly before approaching my mom. It was like a veil of sadness had formed as I coveted her comfort. Hesitantly, the woman let out a sigh, lifting her arms up as I embraced her quietly.

We had been through so much together...it truly felt like this was the final goodbye even though I would see her in a few months. At this thought, now I was starting to get emotional...I was just like her.

"Oh. I almost forgot." She said, pulling away before slipping her fingers into her back pocket. Curiously, I watched her with wet eyes, scrunching up my nose at the old slip of paper she held.

"What's this?"

"Just a little something I found in one of your folders…" Holding up the slip, she unfolded the sheet and smiled, fingers brushing over the worn and smudged writing. I caught a glimpse of the typed words at the top:

 **Write a short paragraph about the best day of your life.**

"Aw, Mama!" I said, ready to tear the slip into tiny pieces.

"What?! I thought it was cute!"

"It's embarrassing! And I already told you...he's an asshole and-"

"Hey! Watch your language, young lady!"

I let out a short groan of annoyance.

My mom wasn't going to have any of it though. "Mariko, just take it and hold onto it for now. Put it with your _other things_ and keep it safe."

Now, some may be wondering what she meant by _other things_ , so let me explain.

I have a small binder dedicated to capturing important events in my life sitting in my desk. I've put things all the way from postcards of the places I've visited to seashells from the times I've gone to the beach. Indeed, my mom was right that _he_ was kind of important in my life, but I just hated being reminded of that terrible heartache.

When I saw that she wasn't going to let up however, I just shook my head and placed the slip in my binder for the future.

"You'll be glad that you kept it." She said, smiling kindly as I shrugged my shoulders. With that said, I followed after her to leave my room and head outside to see her off. Several students and their families were all crowding together, talking cheerfully as a deep sorrow overcame me. Man...that's what sucked about being my mother's daughter. I had inherited her emotional nature and I could feel the tears coming on without any warning. The more I watched her hair- _my hair_ \- sway as she walked and her eyes- _my eyes_ -light up with emotion, the more melancholy I felt.

I was such a big baby...crying over stupid things. I cried over _him_ for about 3 days at home...hopefully it won't be as bad with my mom.

The bus was right on time, sitting patiently in wait for its passengers to climb aboard. I now understood why my mother was walking in front of me; she didn't want me to see her red face and eyes, but she couldn't hide it. As soon as our eyes connected, we both couldn't hold back the tears as we embraced once more. This hug was definitely more sentimental than any other and held more meaning as we both realized that our years together were virtually coming to an end.

"Promise to call me whenever you can?" I asked, already knowing the answer as she dug her face into my shoulder. The air smelled like wet rain along with a mixture of salt and the people around us just seemed to disappear as we both stood together.

"I know I've never really told you this...but I'm very proud of you."

"I love you, Mama." With that said, I could feel her start to pull away. People were beginning to stare and she had to get home soon before I could change my mind and chicken out. Waving goodbye, I watched as my mom climbed aboard the bus, the two of us smiling at each other like idiots as I turned to return back to my dorm. The vehicle was soon started before driving off with my mom, my lungs taking in deep breaths of air as I calmed myself. This was it. A new beginning, I guess…

Making my way back to the dorms, I figured it would be best to try and contact Hinata. I had left my phone in my room to charge some more; by now she must had replied to my text-

"Oof!" My shoulder collided with someone's elbow, an immediate apology escaping my lips as I looked back contritely. "I should have been paying more attention-eh?!" I couldn't help the surprise in my tone. Why was he here?!

He rose an eyebrow at me in return. "Do I know you from somewhere, hm?"

Yeah...it was Deidara. The best friend of the person who had snapped my heart in two a few months ago. He didn't look any different from the last time I had seen him and he still had the verbal twitch, but I didn't really notice anything because I was spending more time looking at his friend to pay attention to him.

"O-oh, well. I just have one of those faces…" A sudden grin stretched upon the blond's face, the one blue eye that wasn't covered by his bangs lighting up. He seemed pretty nice, but just as I was about to make my escape, he placed his hands upon my shoulders.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I've seen you before...hm." Bringing a hand up to his chin, he began to rub as though he had a beard, perusing my red face with a look of thought. His one visible eye narrowed as he suddenly gasped, pulling back quickly to show me a look of utter disbelief.

My embarrassment was threatening to pool over the edge...I had to make an escape, and fast! "Well, uh...I have to go. It was nice meeting you!"

"What's your name, hm?" He asked straightaway.

"E-excuse me?" I felt like I was turning into Hinata.

"I asked what your name was, dummy. Mine is Deidara, hm."

My heart felt like it was going to fly out of my chest. "Oh, um, it's Mariko."

 _Please don't recognize me...please don't…I really don't want to relive that moment…_

"OHHHHHHHH…" He exaggerated, "...hm. Have I seen you on tv?"

And just like that, the greatest weight I had felt in a long time was lifted from my chest. He didn't know who I was! Thank God… "Nope." In the distance, I spotted a short girl with long, raven hair talking to someone. Could it be Hinata..? Now was my chance! "Well, I guess I should get going. I'll see you later, Deidara." On the inside, I was hoping to not see him ever again.

I started to walk past the blond, my freedom just inches away...but then he grabbed my arm.

"Wait! We're going to figure this out, because if I don't, it's going to bother me for forever. Hm."

I felt helpless as I let the guy guide me to the fountain that sat in the center of the main campus, sitting down beside him after it looked like he was going to throw a fit if I didn't. The concrete was a little damp, but had dried enough for us both to sit. It was dead silent between the two of us, but not as awkward as I thought it was going to be. He just sat there...staring.

"So-uh...what are you here for?" Good work, Mariko! This was normal conversation, right?

Deidara sat back to end his scrutiny of my face, a grin stretching brightly across his visage. Almost cockily, the boy reached into a small pouch that he had tied to his hip, unzipping it to pull out a white material.

"I make sculptures," he stated. In his hand was a small amount of clay shaped in a nice, round ball. I stared at the substance hesitantly, interested when his hands began to move.

"Why do you carry clay around?" I asked, my nervousness slowly shying away as Deidara handed me a small flower that he had created in no time. It wasn't full of details, but was molded enough to give it an intricate appearance.

"For occasions like this, hm. I want to be prepared for when the inspiration strikes...but you wanna know something really cool?" A hint of excitement edged its way into his tone.

"Hm?"

"It explodes."

...What?

I immediately threw the flower back to him, scooching over a couple feet as I stared at the material in his lap. Eyes widened with horror, I wondered if I had overreacted a little...he was probably just joking to freak me out…

A deep laugh escaped his lips as he stared at my frightened form. Deidara had a really nice smile from what I could tell…

"You crack me up, hm!" He said, lifting the flower up to his face. "I don't put explosive powder in my raw clay...that'd be pretty careless of me. All of that stuff is up in my dorm room." He placed the flower on the concrete, in between the large gap I had created.

"I don't understand...why would you want to blow up your sculptures?" I asked, intrigued with what he had to say. The blond lurched back, a gasp escaping his lips as he clutched his t-shirt tightly in his hands, almost as though he were trying to hold himself together.

"'Why?' you ask? It's apparent that you have yet to be educated on what art really is…" With a deep breath, Deidara spoke, "Art is a bang, hm! True art is when you see your work soaring to the sky, taking your breath away as you watch the once in a lifetime event occur with awe, hm! You stand there stunned, knowing that you will NEVER see the art again. There is nothing quite as artistic as watching one of my flawless sculptures explode majestically, hm. The sight, the sound, and the smell will take you by a storm, literally, and the image will be burned into your memory for forever. Art is fleeting, hm, and don't let Danna try and convince you otherwise! He may think it's bullshit, but he plays with _dolls,_ so his argument is invalid, hm-wait…" Realization crossed the blond's face as I attempted to process all that he had said, his eyes widening as a sly smirk found its way upon his lips.

 _Uh-oh._ "T-thank you, Deidara," I said, trying to wrap up this unlucky meeting, "but it's time that I leave-"

"You're that girl who tried to confess to Danna!" A small 'eep' escaped my lips as the guy pointed his finger at me in an accusing way. "I KNEW IT...hm." Standing up quickly, I dug my chin into my chest, keeping my eyes focused on the concrete ground. I had to get out of here...I _really_ needed to get out of here. I knew who he was talking about when he said "Danna" and there was no way I could live that moment down...but one thing struck me odd.

In his speech, he made it sound like I would be seeing his "Danna" again soon...no way. _No way could he be here._ That was why I confessed myself to him! I did it because I was certain that I would _never_ see him again!

I began to move my legs, hiding my face from everyone so they couldn't see how red it was. I could hear Deidara running after me, but I kept my pace quick so he would have to jog to keep up with me.

"Mariko!" It sounded weird hearing him say my name.

Much to my chagrin, I slowed down my pace, giving Deidara a look of utter humiliation as I tried hard to forget about _him._ "Listen, I really don't want to be reminded of what happened, and I need to go now. I'll see you later."

Entering the girls' dorm, I failed to notice that the blond was still viewing me, taking note on how I reacted to his accusation. A grin was plastered on his visage as he watched me disappear behind the glass door, an evil thought coming to mind as he did a 180° turn, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"It's about time, Danna...hm."

* * *

 **There we go! This chapter was dedicated solely to plot progression, so it may have seemed a little slow. It appears that Deidara has a plan to do something...but what? Thank you to those of you who have bothered to actually read my crap! I would truly appreciate if you guys could write a review so I can turn my crap into something that's actually decent. I think it's important for the writer to be immersed into what the readers would like to see, so don't be afraid to comment on what you thought or if you have any tips for me. See ya!**


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